Mortal Kombat 11 has continued the trend of new Mortal Kombat games being absolutely amazing. It featured a high-budget, blockbuster-style story mode with an incredible DLC expansion pack as well. Mortal Kombat 11 had incredible graphics, some of the best animations in any fighting game out there, and a jaw-dropping roster, featuring the likes of Rambo and Spawn.
There hasn't been a new game from Netherrealms in a while and there hasn't been much in the way of news or updates to keep fans excited either. What fans do have is relentless trolling from Ed Boon on Twitter, and rumors and leaks, which have revealed that Mortal Kombat 12 is set to release in 2023. As is the norm for fighting games, fans are already theorycrafting and making lists of their perfect roster. Mortal Kombat, over its decades of existence, has garnered an impressive collection of unique characters. There are, however, some that deserve to be featured in the next game for certain.
6 Smoke
It's safe to say the gray ninja Smoke tops the list for most people in terms of a roster wishlist. Players have been crying out for a human version of Smoke for years now. The ninjas in Mortal Kombat have always been fan favorites, and Smoke is definitely up there. Mortal Kombat 2011 gave players a taste of human Smoke again, after nearly two decades. Featuring his long silver hair, and more depth to his backstory, Smoke was considered one of the better characters in the game, so it is a shame that he hasn't been featured properly ever since.
Considering the new graphical competence of the next-gen consoles, and how good Mortal Kombat games look anyway, it would be a treat to see how the developers incorporate Smoke's unique characteristics into his move-set and fatalities. There's a lot of room for experimenting with this character, especially building on his earlier fatalities such as 'Smoked Out', and it would be a shame if he's snubbed again.
5 Nitara
Nitara is another criminally underutilized character from the pre-Mortal Kombat 2011 era. Debuting in Deadly Alliance not much is known about Nitara beyond her being a vampire trying to keep her realm independent of Outworld. Despite allying with Shan Tsung, she's shown to be self-serving and ambivalent to the larger battle between Earth and Outworld.
Nitara has one of the best basic designs in the series and players would love to see her featured in a modern Mortal Kombat game. Her playstyle tends to be very different from most characters, owing to her flight and teleportation abilities, as well as her focus on blood. Nitara has the potential to have some gruesome and flashy special moves and fatalities and would be a welcome addition to the franchise.
4 Havik
The chaos cleric from Mortal Kombat Deception had a unique and terrifying appeal to him. His design and his motivations have always been novel to the series, and while Havik could've been another forgotten character from the 3D era, the Mortal Kombat X comics, which featured him as essentially the main villain, have done so much work in fleshing out this character's motivations. The comics have successfully showcased his strengths and conveyed to the audience just how wicked he can be.
To be clear, there hasn't been nearly enough of Havik in the games in years, and that needs to be changed. Having Havik as an antagonist in the next game offers the opportunity of exploring a darker and twisted story, shifting the direction of the series slightly away from Elder Gods and whatnot. His Blood Magik and his ability to manipulate his own body parts could also make for an incredible skill set.
3 Sareena
Sareena was a demon under the service of Quan'Chi. She eventually betrayed him to help Sub-Zero, which led to her being tortured. As repayment for helping him, Sub-Zero invited her into the Lin Kuei in the original timeline. In the new timeline, all we know about Sareena is how she helped Kenshi and Jax.
There hasn't been much of Sareena ever since, but fans hope that she returns and that her relationships with Sub-Zero and Kenshi are explored more. Sareena being a demon in human form is also an avenue to explore in terms of gameplay and she can be molded into any archetype, she has only been playable in a few games, so the developers have a lot of creative freedom regarding what to do with her.
2 Kenshi
Kenshi's absence from Mortal Kombat 11 was surprising, given the blind swordsman has been one of the most popular characters in the series since his release. He was also given a lot of focus in both the game and the comics of Mortal Kombat X. Kenshi has a solid design, and he's easily one of the most likable characters in the franchise. His skillset in Mortal Kombat X was fun and easy to sink one's teeth into in every variation.
Kenshi's relationship with his son Takeda and the Shirai Ryu also demands more attention. Kenshi deserves a comeback in the next game, and after all the work done developing him, it would be a shame to completely forget all the momentum his story has gotten.
1 Takeda
Takeda has to be the best new character introduced into the franchise in years, probably since his father Kenshi. Takeda being left out of Mortal Kombat 11 was a shocking decision, and fans are hoping to see him make his return this year. Takeda's dynamics with his father, his growth under Scorpion, as well as his relationships with Cassie and Jacqui are all well-established and deserve further exploration.
Beyond that, he has a solid design. More importantly, his fighting style relying on whips, gauntlets, and spears shows the influence of both the Shirai Ryu and Kenshi. Takeda being in the next Mortal Kombat game makes so much sense it would be shocking if it doesn't happen.